Function and dysfunction of plasma cells in intestine

Xue Wang1, Gui-Liang Hao1, Bo-Ya Wang2

  • 11School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xuanwu Hospital, Beijing Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China.

Cell & Bioscience
|March 27, 2019
PubMed

As the main player in humoral immunity, antibodies play indispensable roles in the body's immune system. Plasma cells (PCs), as antibody factories, are important contributors to humoral immunity. PCs, recognized by their unique marker CD138, are always discovered in the medullary cords of spleen and lymph nodes and in bone marrow and mucosal lymphoid tissue. This article will review the origin and differentiation of PCs, characteristics of short- and long-lived PCs, and the secretion of antibodies, such as IgA, IgM, and IgG. PCs play a crucial role in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis using immunomodulation though complex mechanisms. Clearly, PCs play functional roles in maintaining intestinal health, but more details are needed to fully understand all the other effects of intestinal PCs.

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